Hosting its fifth annual Huddle event, global media agency, Mindshare, opened its offices earlier this month to a budding industry crowd. Yet this year’s event sought to move beyond humans, considering some of the more conceptual and visionary feats of modern technological discovery. As talks got underway, organisations such as Google, CNN and Dow Jones spoke candidly on the future of the media landscape.

Talks began with a range of topics on offer, from AI’s vast potential to change news production and dissemination, to former world number one tennis player, Boris Becker, discussing the technological capacity of the game alongside publisher, GiveMeSport. Away from sport however, the potential for future-facing technology took on numerous manifestations, from the Guardian and Acast’s exploration of sex robots, to AI within the journalistic process.

Yet Mindshare’s own considerations on the technological terrain also gave light to the future of media. Its five trends for brands to consider in 2018 specified a key focus on the vast progressions of mobile technology, centred particularly around photography and augmented reality (AR) apps. Mindshare’s forecast also suggested an emphasis on chatbots and data usage, and how 2017 has seen a proliferation of both online chatbots across various sectors, and the increased influence of data within content-focused organisations.

Yet beyond the unending potential for AI to strengthen its grasp on business and technology, Mindshare Huddle also gave attendees a chance to better understand the currency of reality. Google’s talk entitled ‘The changing perception of reality,’ was given by its head of global AR/VR strategy, Steven Kan. In Jon Berger-like fashion, Kan delved deep into the theory of mind, uncovering the fragility of human perception and its susceptibility to alteration. Kan mentioned how our ability to channel the burgeoning potential for augmented and virtual reality within technology leans heavily on humans.

Despite its abundant mixture of both progress and potential, this year’s Mindshare Huddle also brought together a diverse mixture of industry professionals, facilitating an open forum for marketing, communications, advertising and brand professionals.